Mechanical key-board attachment for musical instruments



(No Model.)

W. THORPE.

MECHANICAL KEY BOARD ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

' No. 281,947 Patented July 24, 1883.

INVEN OR ITNESSES ATTORNEYS n PETERS Phnmmm m wmm muc.

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILBUR THORPE, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

MECHANICAL KEY-BOARD ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPEGTFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 281,947, dated July 24,1883. Application filed February 7, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, VVILBUR THORPE, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in MechanicalKey-Board Attachments for Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a front perspective view, showing part ofthe instrument or organ itself. Fig. 2 gives a rear perspective andpartly sectional view, showing the auto matic fingering device and thevertical stand ards that connect them with the keys of the instrument.Fig. 3 is an end view, showing the device for controlling the movementof the roller when adjusted, and for shifting its position after all thetunes contained on the roller have been played. Fig.4 is a plan view ofthe roller, showing its journal-bearings. Fig. 5 is a front view of theroller, also showing its journal-bearings and a shifting spring marked1?. Fig. 6 is a detached see- 0 tionalview of the propelling cog-wheel.Fig. 7

is another detached view ofthe propelling cogwheel, (with cogs notrepresented,) simply illustrating the shape of the hole in said wheel.Fig. 8 is a detached view, showing the end of the roller, one end of themechanical fingering devices, one of the vertical key-standards, and oneof the keys of the instrument, said key being marked G.

My invention relates to a mechanical device which is intended to be usedin connection with pianos, organs, melodeons, and the like; and itconsists in the construction and novel arrangement of parts, as will behereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims appended.This attachment or device is detachably connected in a manner toconveniently take it apart and store away.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby an organ can beplayedby any one without the slightest knowledge of music.

It is simple in its construction, the music being produced by a simpleand conveniently-operated mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,similar letters of reference marked thereon indicate like parts of theinvention.

In Fig. 1, A is a portion of the instrument. B is a bracket frame-workthat supports the gearing of my attachment. Ois the roller, providedwith angular staples and pointed elevations that raise the mechanicalfingers. These elevations are adjusted according to the tune to beproduced, so that when the roller is revolved one or more of theelevations will pass under the fingers at a time, and in such systematicorder that the keys of the organ will be depressed and released againwhen the proper note has been measured, as if handled in the old way bythe fingers of the operator. These fingers are hinged near their centersto a longitudinal bar marked D, and at right angles to the bar, and saidbar is provided with a metal facing, which projects below the undersurface of the finger-bar, and this part of the facing is provided witha series of verti cal slots the whole length of the finger-bar. Theseslots serve as guides for the mechanical fingers and admit of their freevertical ac tion, and guide them laterally, so they will always mark thesame line around the roller. This insures the fingers against dodgingaround the note-elevations on the roller when coming in contact withthem.

Fig. 2 is in part a rear View of my attachment, showing the connectionof the roller with the keyboard of the organ, which is as follows: Twohorizontal bars are framed into brackets B, which are provided withvertical mortises at intervals corresponding to the keys of the organ.These bars are marked 3 and 4c, and in these mortises rest a set ofvertical standards, 5 6 7. The feet of these standards rest on the keysof the organ, and their top ends bear against the rear end of themechanical fingers. Now, when the front end of a finger comes in contactwith one of the points or staple elevations 011 the roller, that end iselevated and the rear end is correspondingly depressed. This pushes thestandard under The propelling device is a cog-wheel operated by aworm-wheel and crank-shaft. H is the cog-wheel. K is the worm, and L isthe crankshaft. The crankshaft is mounted in a horizontal position tobracket B, with eyejournal bearings or any suitable j ournal-box screwedor otherwise fastened to the bracket, the object of this worm devicebeing to impart slow motion to the roller. Then the roller revolves, itis necessary for it to move longitudinally to the left, which isprovided for by a screw-thread on the journal of the roller, as shown inFigs. 4L and 5. The journal-shaft of the roller projects out beyond itsbearing, as shown, and on the part outside of the bearing a thread iscut. Hinged to the bracket, just below this journal, is a caliper-shapeddevice, (marked 0,) the upper ends of which pass through a mortise inlever N. Said lever is made fast to bracket B by one end, as shown, andthe other end is left free to move up or down with the hand. WVhen thislever is pressed downward the jaws of the calipershaped clamp are movedtoward each other, and the inner edge of said jaws have shaved edges tocorrespond to the channel of the thread, so that when they are forcedtoward each other these shaved edges bear in the thread on the shaft,and act the same as a sta tionary threaded nut, so that when therollerrevolves this device causes it to move longitudinally to the left. Vhenit is desired to shift the roller again to the right, the operator takeshold of the lever N and raises it, and the points of the device 0 beingcrossed, the bearing is reversed and throws them open at the point ofcontact with the shaft of the roller, and discngages them with thethread, allowing the roller to move freely to the left, said movement tothe right being caused automatically by a spring, (marked 1 as shown inFig. 5. This spring is firmly fastened at its upper end to the bracketB, and bears inward against the end of the roller for that purpose.

H is a cog-wheel cast with a sleeve. This sleeve has an angular groovethat acts as a journal. Figs. 6 and 7 are both detached views ofcog-wheel H, illustrating how it is made. \Vhen said cog-wheel isadjusted for work it remains stationary, and the roller-shaft moveslongitudinally through it while revolving, being forced to move thus bythe thread at the other end. To provide against the shaft of the rollerturning in the cog H, there is a channel cut on one side of the bore inthe cog, and a corresponding raised rib or flange cast or otherwise madeon the shaft of the roller. By this arrangement the hole through the cogcan be large enough to admit the shaft through it loosely, and yetprevent the shaft turning the cog on account of the channel and flangeor rib. Now, to adjust it to work, the wheel is slipped on the shaft andthen let down into the bearing, which bearing straddles over therecessed part of the sleeve of the cog-wheel, and

walls of the annular groove or recess in the sleeve prevent lateralplay. Thus the cog is held stationary laterally and can only revolve,and when it is revolved the roller is also forced to revolve. To takethe roller out entirely, which is desired sometimes, it is necessary toraise the finger'bar to give room for it to be taken out. This isprovided for by two short metal straps, one end of each of which isfirmly fastened by screws or otherwise to the end of the fingerbar, andthe other end of which is pivoted to the bracket B, so that when bar Dis raised it swings upon these pivots. Now, the means for elevating itis found in a pitmanconnection, marked N, that is riveted by one end tohand-lever N and by the other to the metal straps N, as shown in Fig. 3.\Vhen the lever N is elevated to disengage clamps 0, so that the rollercan be taken out or shifted, bar D also is raised out of the way at thesame time and by the same operation.

This attachment, when set or attached to an organ or instrument, wouldcut off free access to the stops. Provisions for the handling thesesteps is made by providing a lever-connection with them, as shown bestin Fig. 3. A strong wire, M, is hinged at R, and has a forkedend atbottom, (shown at S in Fig. 3,) which strad dles over the stop andcloses around it, so that it grips it firmly. is elbowed and projectsover in easy reach of the operator, so he can handle the stop at will.

Fig. 9 is a detached view of one of the loose journal-bearings. Thesebearings are held in a groove cut in the upper edge of bracket B, andcan be shifted in the groove or slid out at will.

Organs and melodcons having been provided with revolving cylinders orbarrels on which airs or tunes are set by pins, and it not being' Theupper end of this wire 9 new to automatically play set tunes by simplyturning a crank arranged in the case of an illstrument and connected bythe pin-cylinders, I do not claim either of these devices, broadly.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a mechanical key-board attachment for musical instruments, thelever N, calipershaped clamps O, and shifting-spring l, in combinationwith bracket B and roller 0, substantially as specified.

2. A mechanical key-board attachment for musical instruments, having theelbow-wires M pivoted to the back thereof, substantially as described,whereby the lower ends of said elbow-wircs may be attached to thestop-knobs of an organ for operating the same when the devi cc is placedover the key-board, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

XV. THORPE. lVitnesses:

SANFORD READ, J. M. HALL.

